Scarlet Potter
by Meagi
Summary: A darker view of Hogwarts life and the tale of Harry Potter, as seen through the eyes of an added character Harry's negelcted twin sister. Some of the phrases used are taken from the books. I in no way take those as my own.
1. Prelude

The night was legendary in the wizarding world. The night that Lord Voldemort was defeated by a small child named Harry Potter. Everyone knew of Harry and his lighting scar, but not one headline featured the name, Scarlet. Scarlet was Harry's twin sister. She was spared Voldemort's attack when he attacked Harry first. Now she shares a small cupboard under the stairs with her brother, Harry.

It was a pretty boring life style on Private Dr. Scarlet only had Harry as a friend. He was made to wear their cousins Dudley's old clothes. As for Scarlet, well Mrs. Dursely always wanted a little girl, no matter how much she did love Dudley. So every time there was a half off sale she would come home with a couple pairs of frilly dresses for Scarlet to wear. All the other girls her age would tease her terribly for it.

Every day Harry and Scarlet would pretend not to excite and make sure they weren't seen doing anything odd in front of the neighbors. However, once Harry did mange to let a snake loose at the zoo. We all know that this was one of the first time's Harry showed his magic ability. As for Scarlet, one day at school Misty Carlson was making fun of the ribbon on Scarlet's dress. All the girls joined in to point and laugh at it and point out how ugly it was. The next day Misty was showing off her new hair ribbon's which looked exactly like the ribbon that had been on Scarlet's dress. No one seemed to notice they were the same, though they did all notice that Mitsy's ribbons grew six feet during math class.

Yes, Scarlet was a witch and Harry was a wizard. It wasn't long before their Hogwarts letters arrived. Harry had reached the mail and was captivated by his letter. Dudley, however, grabbed it and took it to Uncle Veron before Harry had a chance to open it. While a big fuss was made over Harry's letter, Scarlet took it upon herself to gather up the rest of the mail. There on the top of the pile was Scarlet's Hogwarts letter. She left the rest of the mail by the door and took her letter to the cupboard under the stairs where she could read it safely.

In shiny emerald colored ink, was written the proof of her being a which. As chaos reigned outside over Harry's letter, Scarlet sat quietly, reading her letter over and over again. If the letter was correct, then she was a witch. And if she could some how find her supplies and away to get to the train, she could leave this place and got to somewhere where she might be accepted. She never told Harry about her letter and only passed it off as a practical joke. No one would send her and Harry mail. Days past and more letters came for Harry. Finally, Uncle Vernon snapped and they all traveled to an old sack on a slowly decaying island.

That night was Harry and Scarlet's 11th birthday. They drew a cake in the dirt and wished each other a happy Birthday. Then Scarlet's birthday wish came true. She and Harry were before whisked away (by our friendly half giant Hagrid) to a world of witches and wizards.

Well that concludes the prelude. The real story begins during the wait to be sorted by the sorting hat. Yes, I'm skipping the train, but you really don't need to read about Scarlet sitting quietly next to Harry until she falls asleep now do you.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

A School of Magic

Scarlet played with her long auburn hair nervously as looked around at the large entry hall. She and Harry we're gathered amongst a crowd of first years fallowing Professor McGonagall. They fallowed her into a small room.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the great Hall, you take your seat in your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of house…" Professor McGonagall eventually finished her speech and left for the great hall.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

"Do siblings usually end up in the same house?" Scarlet piped in.

"Well, all the Weasleys have so far. I don't ever remember hearing of siblings who weren't in the same house. I don't think you have to worry. You and Harry will stay together." Ron assured her. Scarlet felt a little better, but still clenched on to Harry's arm.

Suddenly several people screamed and Scarlet jumped. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall they talked amongst themselves and hardly noticed the first years below. One ghost however did notice them and started to try and engage them in conversation. Ghosts were the lest of Scarlet's fears. Horrible thoughts were circling in her head. What if she and Harry didn't end up in the same house? What if she could find friends like at her last school? What if she did a spell so wrong that she hurt someone and had to be sent away? What if Harry got so popular that he would forget about her? She thought back to the Leaky Cauldron when Harry was practically mauled by fans. Scarlet had been left to stand by herself watching Harry nervously shack hands with everyone, because apparently they all already thought they knew him for some reason. No one had even bothered to look at Scarlet.

"Move along now," called Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and fallow me."

Scarlet nervously filled in behind Ron and Harry. The Great Hal was filled with students watching them walk up to the Head table. Scarlet felt the large knot she had acquired, grow to reach her throat. She swallowed hard and fixed her gaze on the back of Harry's head.

Somehow she survived the walk up to the front of the great Hall. She now stood in line waiting for her name to be called. There was a stool for the first years to sit on while being sorted. It's dark wood pattern started to resemble flames. The hat that actually sorted them was even scarier. It was an old wizard's hat with patches all over it. Some of the patches seemed to resemble a face. The brim would open up ever once and a while to shout out which house the unfortunate soul sitting beneath it was sentenced to. Scarlet started to wonder if she did want to be a witch. Maybe she was better off safely among the Dursleys.

"Potter, Harry!" rang out Professor McGonagall's voice. Scarlet jumped a bit at hearing her last name announced so loudly. The rest of the Great Hall had erupted into whispers.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

Scarlet watched as Harry took his seat on the stool and his eyes were covered by the Sorting Hat. She wrung her hands together as she waited for Harry's house to be called. His house would be the one she would want to be in. And after Harry was done, her name would be called. She hated hearing her name called.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers and a slight chant of "We got potter" could be heard as he sat down. He hadn't even looked at Scarlet when he went though. She brushed it off as him just being excited as Professor McGonagall called her name. One again the Great Hall erupted into whispers, but they were very different.

"Harry has a sister?"

"Was her family daft enough to change their name to Potter?"

"Is she trying to make a name for herself by taking some one else's?"

"Is that his cousin or something?"

"I hope she's not in our house."

Scarlet felt her face get very flushed, as she walked to the stool. A weight gathered at the corner of her eyes. She held her breath and closed her eyes to keep from crying. A voice whispered in her ear.

"My my, you have a lot of potential and a remarkable amount of talent. Though there is something hidden deep inside you I believe…" Scarlet hardly heard what the hat was telling her. The whispers kept circling over and over in her head. It was taking all her strength to keep from crying. Then finally one of her own thoughts managed to wriggle it's way through the others. "I hate Harry."

"I believe I have decided," whispered the Sorting Hat. "The house to best bring out your full potential is… SLYTHERIN!" Scarlet's eyes flew open. The Great Hall was staring at her I silence. Never before had Scarlet heard such quit as this. Not one sound could escape the void. Slowly someone behind her at the Head table began to applaud and the rest of the Great Hall fallowed suit. As she made her way to the Slytherin table Scarlet noticed that Harry was looking at with his mouth gapping open. She sat down next the Bloody Baron, who seemed to be the only person at the table with a smile on their face.

"Don't worry. We're not that bad. I think you'll fit in fine," he whispered to her. The girl on Scarlet's other side gave a kind of scowl and scooted over. Scarlet felt as though she could combust into ashes at the moment. She rested her forehead to the table and held her stomach. Through almost the whole banquet, she sat like that; only occasionally picking up her head to take a piece of bread or a tart.

The banquet finally ended much later than Scarlet had hoped, and they all left for their common rooms. As the Slytherins broke off from the group to go to the dungeons, Scarlet spotted Harry. He was walking up the stairs with Ron, and oddly enough they both had smiles on their faces. How could Harry smile when Scarlet, for the first time in their lives, would not be sleeping in the same room with him?

Scarlet felt a strong tug on her arm. She turned and found herself staring into a pair of very blue eyes.

"Watch where you're going Potter or you'll run into some one." Draco Malfoy let go of her arm and walked ahead to where his lackeys, Crabb and Goyle, were. Scarlet decided to take the comment as a "Hey, you hit me" comment. She felt so empty and out of place by the time she reached her dorm. None of the other girls in her dorm talked to her. Though, they happily conversed with each other. Scarlet let herself sink into her soft bed. A little while latter she heard the other girls talking about her. She stayed where she was, but listened to the conversation.

"Can you believe we got stuck with her?" whispered one girl. "I don't think I'll be able to stand it. I mean shouldn't she be attached at the hip with Harry Potter?" said a second girl.

"Well it might be kind of fun. Just imagine how many spells and potions we can test on her." Said yet a third girl. All of them started to giggle. The rest of the night, as Scarlet remembers it, the girls discussed all of the horrible things they would do to her. The finally went to bed, and a couple hours latter Scarlet finally went to sleep on a tear soaked pillow.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The Start of Term

Harry was followed by whispers all day the next day. One kid walked into a wall because he was staring at Harry's scar.

"I wish they wouldn't do that." Harry commented to Ron.

"They'll get used to you eventually," Ron replied. "Oh great," Ron moaned.

"What is it?"

"We have Double Portions with the Slythrins next. Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them – we'll get to see if it's true."

"Oh, and we'll see get to see how Scarlet is doing. I didn't see her at breakfast."

"Well, we'll see her alright. That is if they haven't hung her yet."

Harry swallowed hard. How was Scarlet being treated in the Slytherin House? None of them had treated him too kindly, especially Draco Malfoy. Harry hoped with all his might that Malfoy had left her alone.

Harry didn't have to worry about them hanging her. When the Gryffindors walked into the Potion's room, Harry saw her Scarlet sitting in the front of the class room. It didn't look as if she wanted to be there, more like she was put there. Harry wasn't inclined to want to sit in the front, but he didn't want to leave her alone. They had always faced Dudley's bulling together, why not the Slytherin's as well? Harry gave his sister an encouraging smile and sat down beside her. Scarlet smiled weakly back, but then looked back down at her lap. Ron was not pleased with Harry's seating choice. He'd rather be as far away from Snape as possible. He gave Harry a "What are you thinking?" look, but sat down next to him anyway.

Professor Snape started the class with roll call and paused when he reached Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and Crabb and Goyle snickered.

"Potter, Scarlet," again Snaped paused, "Tell me Miss. Potter, how does it feel to have a famous brother." Scarlet didn't reply. "Afraid to speak ill of him? Well, you'll have to learn to speak up. You're in Slytherin now."

To Harry's surprise it wasn't Malfoy and his gang who snickered this time, but some girls sitting in the back of the room.

Snape finished roll call and started off class by describing the future lessons in vivid detail. Harry exchanged a raised eye brow with Ron and then turned to Scarlet. She was looking up now, and sitting up straight as well. She had brought out paper and quill and looked very ready to take a mountain of notes.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. Harry jumped, but Scarlet didn't this time. Apparently she had heard Snape snap knew when he meant her, so Harry turned to look at Snape who looked straight back at him with his cold black eyes. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphoded to an infusion of wormwood?"

_Powdered root of what to an infusion o what?_ Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air and Scarlet was scribbling a note.

"I don't know sir," said Harry.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything."

He ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe and Gyole, who were shaking with laughter.

"I don't know sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.

"What is the difference, Potter, between mankshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does though, why don't you try her?'

A few people laughed. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"For you information, Potter, asphodel and wormwoods make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all following Miss. Potter's example and copying this down?"

Above the noise of rummaging for quills, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for you're your cheek, Potter. However, five points to Slytherin for Miss. Potter's example of a well prepared and attentive student."

Harry could have sworn he saw a little smile on Snape's face while awarding the points. Scarlet smiled politely at him as kind of a thank you, though she preferred not to have so much attention drawn to her.

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindor as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy and Scarlet. Harry believed that they were paired up, because they were Snape's favorites at the moment.

Snape was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy and Scarlet had stewed their horned slugs when clouds of acid greed smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaning in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing." Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.

"You- Potter- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week – why did Snape hate him so much?

"Cheer up," said Ron after class, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

"You've been invited to Hagrid's too?" asked Scarlet from behind them.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I bet he wants to make sure we're getting along alright."

"Yeah, he probably does. Well, I'll see you there." Scarlet waved good-bye and ran off. Harry wondered just how well Scarlet was doing. He shook off the thought and assumed that he would find out at Hagrid's.


End file.
